Container closure guard device



D. G. MARTINEZ CONTAINER CLOSURE GUARD DEVICE Filed March 22, 1952 Sept. 13, 1955 llfldizrl jveizir fiarzz'ez 61%62772'729 United States Patent CONTAINER'CLOSURE GUARD DEVICE Daniel G. Martinez, Van Nuys, Calif., assignor of twothirds to Albert C. Dockstader, Sherman Oaks, and Louis Belle, V an Nuys, Calif.

Application March 22, 1952, Serial No. 278,043

4 Claims. (Cl. 215-9) This invention relates to bottle cap construction and particularly to a form thereof efi'ective to prevent the removal-of screw caps from containers of poisonous substances by children.

The principal object of the invention is to provide means which may be attached to conventional screw type bottle caps which is so constructed and arranged that removal of the cap from a bottle requires skill not possessed by children of the age range who are most apt to try to gain access to containers of medicines, insect poisons and other harmful substances.

Another object of the invention is to provide a guard means in which the foregoing objective is realized and which comprises only a single part capable of economical production.

With the foregoing objects in view, together with such additional objects and advantages as may subsequently appear, the invention resides in the provision of a onepiece bottle cap guard which may be formed, by way of example inthe manner disclosed in the following specification of certain forms of the-invention; reference being had to the accompanying drawings which form apart of said specification and in which drawings:

Fig. l is a sideelevation of a-container having a con ventional screw cap closure and having a guard means of the present invention applied thereto; a portion of the guard means being broken away for clearness of illustration,

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the container and closure shown in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a conventional sheet metal screw cap having the guard means of the invention applied thereto; a portion of the guard means being broken away for clearness of illustration,

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a second form of the invention adapted for use with metal screw caps characterized by locking means which prevents the removal of the guard means after assembly with the cap,

Fig. 6 is a sectional side elevation taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 7 showing a third form of the invention particularly adapted for use with molded plastic screw caps for containers, and

Fig. 7 is a top plan view of the assembled cap and guard means shown in Fig. 6.

Referring first to Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the drawings, there is shown a bottle or similar container B having an externally threaded neck N closed by a sheet metal screw cap C engaging the threads T and having at its bottom edge a laterally extending flange or bead portion F. The associated form of the invention comprises a thin resilient metal sleeve 1 open at both ends having an internal diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the flange F and having an outturned bead portion 2 at the end thereof adjacent the top of the cap C and an inturned flange portion 3 underlying the outer portion of the flange F of the cap C. Immediately above the planeof the flange F, the body portion 4 of the sleeve 1 is provided with a series of radially spaced, inwardly extending depressions disposed in a plane normal to the axis of the sleeve 1 and forming rounded bosses 5 on the inner diameter of the sleeve and which bosses extend inwardly slightly over the upper face of the flange F.

The cap C is assembled with the sleeve 1 by pressing the cap in from the top end of the sleeve with the side wall of the sleeve yielding sufliciently to allow the flange F to snap past the'bosses 5 and with the capv thereafter being loosely mounted within the sleeve as shown in Fig. 4. To apply the cap to a container, the exterior of the sleeve is gripped between the first and second fingers'with the top of the cap toward the palm of the-hand and with the thumb pressing down on the top of the cap with resultant frictional interengagement between the flange 3 of the sleeve and the flange F of the cap added to the frictional engagement between'the thumb and the cap. This engagement is sufficient to hold the cap incident to placing it on the bottle and screwing it into place thereon. Upon release the sleeve is loosely engaged with the cap and is free to turn thereon. A child of the age range at which protection is necessary, will not be able to loosen the cap but will be able only to h-armlessly turn the sleeve on the cap. Removal of the cap is accomplished in the same manner as'employed to place it on the bottle. If desired, the sleeve can be removed from the cap by pressing it toward the outer or beaded end of the sleeve and causing the flange F to snap past the bosses 5.

Referring next to Fig. 5 there is shown -a second form of the invention which is :generally similar to the first described form except that the .cap securing means is designed to preventremoval of the cap once itis snapped into place within the sleeve. This is accomplished by forming the lower ends of thecap securing bosses 5' as dependingtongues with resultant formationof end faces6 engageable in latching relation with the top of the cap flange F thus opposing any possibility of springing the flange F past the shoulders to remove the cap from the sleeve. The method of applying and removing the cap and sleeve is the same as previously described and the loose fit of the sleeve on the cap will equally effectively prevent the removal of the cap by a child.

Referring next to Figs. 6 and 7, there is shown a form of the invention adapted for use with screw caps of the molded plastic type. Such caps do not have the outwardly extending bottom flange or bead as shown at F in the preceding figures and consequently the sleeve for use with such caps is provided with bosses 5" which are formed in the same manner as the bosses 5 in Figs. 1 to 4 but the bosses 5 are located at the upper end of the sleeve to engage the upper edge E of the molded cap M so that the cap is loosely held between the bosses 5" and the lower flange 3 of the sleeve which flange engages the lower edge E of the cap M. In those instances in which extreme tightening of the cap on the container is desired, the use of a cap M having the top face thereof provided with a series of ridges R for better engagement with the thumb of the user advantageous and it will be appreciated that if desired for like reasons, metal caps having roughened top surface may be provided for better gripping by the thumb of the user. However, unless extreme tightening is desired, such roughened surfaces will not be found necessary. The mode of applying the sleeve to the molded cap is the same as described in connection with the other forms of the invention; the cap being forced between the bosses 5" until they spring back into place over the top edge E of the cap, and the mode of removing and replacing the assembled cap and sleeve on the bottle is the same as previously described. In this connection, it is to be noted that the upper flange or bead 2 of the sleeve serves materially to hold the sleeve in place against pressure exerted by the thumb of the user incident to opening or closing a bottle. In this last described form of the invention, the sleeve is loosely rotatable on the cap and thus presents the same impossibility of operation by small children as is possessed by the other forms. If desired, the bosses 5 may be of the type shown in Fig. 5 to prevent disassembly of the cap and sleeve.

While in the foregoing specification there have been described certain forms of the invention by way of example, it is not to be inferred therefrom that the invention is limited to the exact forms so disclosed, and the invention shall be understood to embrace all such modifications of the disclosed forms thereof as shall come within the purview of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A guard means attachable to an internally threaded screw cap and effective to prevent the unauthorized removal of the cap from a container opening closed by the cap; said guard means comprising a resilient, thin walled cylindrical sleeve of slightly greater length than the cap and having an internal diameter slightly greater than the greatest diameter of the cap; said sleeve having a radially inwardly extending flange at one end thereof having a minor diameter which is not less that the outer diameter of the threads on the container Opening; the side wall of said sleeve being provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced, radially inwardly extending bosses; said bosses in lines extending parallel to the axis of said sleeve having radially inwardly sloping surfaces in a direction toward said flange and to an extent which is a lesser radial distance from the axis of said sleeve than the greatest radial dimension of the cap and thence extending in said lines to the inner surface of said sleeve; the resilience of said sleeve in the areas thereof between said bosses being sufficient to permit the snap-in attachment of said sleeve to a cap with momentary distortion of the sleeve as the largest diameter of the cap passes said bosses and to return said sleeve to normal position with the cap loosely interlocked within said sleeve for free relative rotation and limited axial movement therein.

2. A guard means attachable to a container closure screw cap of the sheet metal type and including an outwardly extending annular flange at the open end of the cap; said guard means comprising a resilient, thin walled sleeve of slightly greater length than the length of the caps for which it is intended and having an internal diameter which is slightly greater than the diameter of the cap flange; one end of said sleeve having an inturned flange portion of lesser diameter than the cap flange, a radially outwardly extending flange at the opposite end of said sleeve, a plurality of inwardly extending, circumferentially spaced bosses formed in the side wall of said sleeve and spaced from said inturned flange a distance which is slightly greater than the thickness of the cap flange; said bosses having sloping surfaces in a direction toward said inturned flange end and toward the axis of said sleeve; the resilience of said sleeve being sufficient to permit said sleeve to be forced on to a cap with momentary distortion of the sidewalls of the sleeve as the cap flange passes said bosses and to return said sleeve to normal position with the cap flange interlocked between said bosses and said inturned flange portion of said sleeve.

3. A guard means as claimed in claim 1 attachable to molded plastic container closure screw caps having a substantially uniform outside diameter; said guard means having the bosses in the side wall thereof disposed a sufficient distance from the inwardly extending flange thereof to overlie the closed end of the cap when the guard means is attached to the cap.

4. A guard means as claimed in claim 2 in which the surfaces of said bosses adjacent to said inturned flange portion extend in a plane normal to the axis of said sleeve.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,276,768 Hoyle et al. Aug. 27, 1918 2,053,498 Schmalz Sept. 8, 1936 2,061,214 Sentman Nov. 17, 1936 2,162,753 Schauer June 20, 1939 2,359,639 Hanahan Oct. 3, 1944 2,418,039 Mays Mar. 25, 1947 

